My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Tales From The Stallion Six

by SuperPinkBrony12

The Tale of Braeburn

"This better not turn out to be another dead end." Scootaloo complained, as she sped towards Sugarcube Corner "How hard can it be to find one pegasus?"

"You know Scootaloo, just because you really look up to Rainbow Dash, doesn't mean you need to know everything about her." Rumble replied "Did you ever stop to think that, maybe there are some parts of her life she would rather keep secret?"

"You don't understand." Scootalo snapped back "Rainbow Dash and I are so close that we're practically sisters. And sisters know everything to there is know about each other."

"Really, because Rarity and I know very little about each other and yet we're happy." Sweetie Belle stated.

"And although Applejack and I don't have the tightest of a bond, we're still close." Apple Bloom added "Are you sure you're not just making that last part up?"

"What is this, 'Educating Scootaloo Day'?" Scootaloo complained "It is perfectly healthy for me to want to know as much about Rainbow Dash as I can."

"Even if you still haven't told her about the fact that your mom's a retired Wonderbolt?" Rumble teased.

"She's never asked." Scootaloo explained "Besides, my mom is so embarassing. She's always finding ways to make me feel publicly humilated. Same goes for my dad."

"I'm sure they're not doing it on purpose." Rumble replied.

"Oh really, well then why don't you come over to my place sometime and see for yourself?" Scootaloo asked "After the first hour, you'll be sorry you ever asked."

"Can we just focus on getting to Sugarcube Corner?" Apple Bloom asked crossly.

"I wonder what sort of story Rainbow Dash will have to tell about how she earned her cutie mark?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Cutie marks you say?" Braeburn asked, suddenly appearing in the wagon.

"Braeburn?! How?! What the?! Why?!" Apple Bloom stuttered, completely confused by her cousin's sudden appearance in the wagon.

"It's a little trick Pinkie Pie taught me." Braeburn explained "Anyway, you guys are interested in cutie marks, right?"

"Of course." Sweetie Belle explained "As a matter of fact, we're on our way to Sugarcube Corner to see if we can find Rainbow Dash and here how she got her cutie mark."

"Sugarcube Corner eh? Sounds like the perfect place to be right about now." Braeburn replied happily "Maybe if you're lucky, Pinkie Pie will tell you her cutie mark story. She says it's a real gem."

"Say, Braeburn, how did you get your cutie mark?" Apple Bloom asked her cousin.

"I thought you'd never ask." Braeburn replied happily "Get ready, because my story is going to blow your mind!"

"Is it?" Rumble asked.

"You bet it is." Braeburn said with a smile.

"Whatever, just make it quick." Scootaloo shrugged, under her breath she added "Because your extra weight is slowing us down."

"Well, like all good stories, I'll start from the beginning." Braeburn stated "This may come as a surprise to some of you, but Appleloosa wasn't always my home town."

"What?!" Sweetie Belle gasped.

"I had no idea." Rumble said, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Oh yes, I remember. Granny Smith said that Appleloosa was built just about a year ago." Apple Bloom replied "And she said that prior to that, you lived in Applewood."

"You got that right." Braeburn said happily "And let me tell you, Applewood was quite the place. I think you would've really liked it if you'd had the chance to visit."

And indeed it was. Applewood, despite its location, was a perfect place for farming. Many families headed out there in the hopes of making a fresh start, and when the railroad line came through the town quickly began to grow. In a matter of a few years, it underwent an amazing transformation. Changing from a small settler town with only a few houses and a general store, to a bustling city that could rival the likes of Manehattan and Canterlot. Despite that, the town maintained its roots. The roads were not paved, the buildings continued to be built with wood, and a sheriff instead of a police department enforced the law.

It was a peaceful little place where everypony knew each other. And it stayed that way for many years. In the meantime, a thriving movie business was established when it was discovered Applewood provided an ideal location to house a major production studio. Before long, theaters all across Equestria were streaming the new motion pictures called "Westerns". They involved things such as daring train robberies, high speed carriage chases, showdowns at high noon, and wandering strangers with no name. In fact, one colt became so inspired by these movies, that he would go on to adopt a persona that would be right at home in those movies. But that's another story.

Unfortunately, the peaceful was eventually disrupted when a group of cattle rustlers showed up in town. Led by a stubborn bull called Longhorn, they terrorized the citizens of Applewood. When the local sheriff attempted to stop them, he was humilated and driven out of town. Sheriff after sheriff took over, but they had little luck.

In the meantime, the movie business was shut down. And as the shipments from the railroad line became less and less frequent, ponies began to pack up and leave. Those who stayed were left to the mercy of the cattle rustlers, and Longhorn seldom granted mercy to anyone.

Such was the life that a young Braeburn came to know. Day in and day out, he was made aware of the fact that his very way of life could be threatened at any time.

"I wish there was something I could do to get rid of those cattle rustlers, especially that Longhorn fellow." Braeburn thought to himself, but he didn't know what that something was.

Eventually, the situation grew even more dire. "The railroad company has completely suspended service to this town." Braeburn's father said at dinner time one evening "Princess Celestia is attempting to change their minds, but she's having little success."

"But what will we do without the shipments from the railroad?" Braeburn's mother asked.

"We will have to rely on the food that we grow ourselves." Braeburn's father replied gravly "It's a good thing that this land is suitable for farming, otherwise we'd be up the river without a paddle."

"Is there anything we can do Pa?" Braeburn asked.

Braeburn's father shook his head "I'm afraid not. As long as that no good Longhorn is around, those cattle rustlers will continue to be a threat."

"Then we should stand up for ourselves!" Braeburn insisted "Show them that they can't push us around!"

"Certainly not!" Braeburn's mother said sternly "Those cattle rustlers haven't directly attacked us yet, and picking a fight with them will just make them angrier. An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind."

"Can't we all just get along?" Braeburn asked "Maybe if we try to show the cattle rustlers that we want to be friends, the magic of friendship will make them see the error of their ways."

"That's some wishful thinking, but I'm afraid it'll do us no good." Braeburn's father said seriously.

But Braeburn was determined to give it a shot, and so the next day he headed out to where he knew the cattle rustlers had set up camp. "Uh, excuse me?" he asked one of the cattle rustlers.

The bull looked at Braeburn, and eyed him suspicously "What do ya want kid? Better make it quick, for your sake."

"I just want to talk to your boss, Longhorn." Braeburn said nervously "That's all."

"Well, I don't know. The boss doesn't take kindly to strangers." the bull replied.

"Please?" Braeburn pleaded, dawning his best pair of puppy dog eyes.

The bull wasn't able to ignore the eyes, and reluctantly he agreed to speak with Longhorn.

A moment later, Longhorn arrived. He looked at Braeburn, and snorted furiously "What sort of nonsense have you come to yack my ear off about little colt?" he asked furiously.

Braeburn gulped, and plucked up courage "Well Mr. Longhorn sir, my name is Braeburn." he said polietly, after all Ma had always raised him to be a gentlecolt.

"Braeburn huh, an interesting name for a colt such as yourself." Longhorn replied "But you are only a blank flank, why have you taken it upon yourself to speak to me? Have you come here for revenge? To drive me off this land that your fellow Applewood citizens claim is theirs?"

"Certainly not." Braeburn said with a shake of his head.

"Then what is it?" Longhorn asked "Out it with already, I don't have all day!"

Braeburn sighed, and took a deep breath. This was it, the moment of truth. "Well sir, I was just wondering, can we be friends?"

"What?!" Longhorn bellowed "Friends?!"

"Well, yes." Braeburn said nervously "You could still live off of this land, but you and your fellow cattle rustlers wouldn't have to constantly stampede through town, scaring everypony into intimidation. You'd be kind of like neighbors to us all. We could live together in peace and harmony, and things could go back to how they were."

"Me?! Make friends with ponies?! NEVER!" Longhorn shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Pretty please?" Braeburn pleaded "Maybe if you gave it a try, you would like it."

Longhorn was silent for a moment, then he threw back his head and laughed. "Friendship is nothing but an excuse for you ponies to keep us weak so that you can boss us around." he spoke up.

"That's not true!" Braeburn defended "Friendship doesn't work like that!"

"So you say, but I don't believe you!" Longhorn said crossly "You ponies don't understand life the way I do! The only one you can ever truly depend upon is yourself! Others will only get in your way and take advantage of you. Friendship is nothing but a bold faced lie!"

"But" Braeburn protested.

"Silence!" Longhorn interrupted "My decision is made! Now get out of my sight!"

"No!" Braeburn said seriously "You can't just walk all over me!"

"You're in no position to be making threats my little pony!" Longhorn said crossly "I'm only gonna say this once! Get out of my way, or you'll be sorry!"

"I'm not moving!" Braeburn insisted "I tried to be nice and offer you a peaceful solution! But I will not stand by and let you continue to pick on my friends and family! You bullies have terrorized this town for long enough!"

"Idiot! Perhaps I need to teach you a lesson in respecting your elders!" Longhorn bellowed "We'll see how tough you are after you've had a close encounter with my horns!" Longhorn backed up, and began to stomp his hooves on the ground. He snorted, blowing puffs of air out of his nostrils. If Braeburn was worried, he showed no signs of it and continued to stand his ground. "This is it! You're finished!" Longhorn shouted, and he charged forward as fast as he could. Determined to ram Braeburn with his horns.

But just as he was about to be struck, a wave of violet-pink magic washed over Braeburn. A shield formed around him, protecting him from any and all attacks.

"What?!" Longhorn gasped "Impossible! You should be laying on the ground, begging for mercy! How are you still standing?!"

"Simple." Braeburn bluffed "This is the magic of friendship. The very magic that you rejected. This is why you should've just taken up my offer to be friends."

"You think I'm afraid of your shield?!" Longhorn asked, trying not to show how afraid he truly was.

"Indeed I do." Braeburn said with a smile "So I'm going to say to you, what you said to me. Get out of my way, or you'll be sorry!"

Those words hit Longhorn like a sack of bricks, but instead of making him afraid, they only made him cross. "I don't care if you have a shield! You shall learn discipline, and pain will be your teacher!" He backed up, and charged straight at Braeburn once again. But this time, not only did his attack bounce harmlessly off of the shield, but the force of impact was turned against him. It was powerful enough to send him flying over the horizon. "I'll remember this!" Longhorn shouted, as he disappeared with a twinkle.

The other bulls grew frightened, this colt had singlehoofedly defeated their leader as if it were nothing. And from the looks of things, he wasn't finished just yet.

"Leave now and never return!" Braeburn shouted to the bulls "I will not allow you to defile this town with your prescence!" The bulls didn't need to be told twice, and they sped away as fast as their hooves could carry them. As soon as they did, the violet-pink shield disappeared.

When word got out that Braeburn had managed to drive away the cattle rustlers, Applewood went wild. The citizens quickly decided that a hero party was in order, and despite it being for him, Braeburn helped out with the preparations.

After a few hours, the party was ready. The newly appointed Sheriff Six Shot lead off the celebration, by appointing Braeburn junior sheriff. Then, he turned to the crowd and said "Three cheers for Braeburn!"

"Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!" the crowd cheered.

"You were very brave out there son." Braeburn's father said with a smile "Few ponies would've had the courage to do what you did."

"Even so, I hope you won't try to pull a stunt like that again." Braeburn's mother scolded "You had your Pa and I very worried."

"Yes Ma, yes Pa. I'm sorry." Braeburn apologized.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, there's something else you did today." Braeburn's mother said, as she glanced at her son's flank.

"What do you mean?" Braeburn asked.

"Look at your flank and see for yourself." Braeburn's father instructed.

Braeburn did so, and when he did he gasped. A bright red apple was depicted where there had previously been nothing. He'd finally earned his cutie mark. Braeburn was so happy, he let out a cry!

"That sure looks like fun." a mysterious colt said to himself, watching the hero party/cutecenara from a distance "If only she were here to see it too." and his thoughts drifted back to a filly he had met not too long ago.

"How come you got an apple cutie mark for defending your town?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Because that apple symbolized my passion for justice, and friendship." Braeburn explained "I realized that I had the ability to make a difference, and solve problems without resorting to violence. It also probably symbolized my bravery in the face of danger, and my refusal to back down from a just cause."

"That makes sense to me I guess." Apple Bloom shrugged.

"Same here." Sweetie Belle and Rumble replied.

"Eh, whatever floats your boat." Scootaloo said, and she grinded to a halt "Oh, would you look at that? We're at Sugarcube Corner, and it only took 15 minutes to make the trip."

"Hope you all liked my story." Braeburn said with a smile, as he got out of the wagon "Well, I hope you find who you're looking for. Goodbye."

"Call me crazy, but I can't help but notice that there's been a pattern of some sort in each of the cutie mark stories we've heard so far." Rumble said to Sweetie Belle.

"I've noticed the same thing." Sweetie Belle replied.

"So have I." Apple Bloom nodded "Talk about a most unusual coincidence."

"Coincidence? I think not!" Scootaloo said seriously "The odds of five stories having something in common are extremly low. Something must be up."

Author's Note:

The cattle rustlers come from the IDW Comics.

Appleloosa was constructed just months before Princess Luna returned.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

Sweet chapter. I loved this chapter. I can't wait to read the next chapter. Good luck.

[MyChemicalRomano]

COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT!

Is that a reference? Anyway, enjoying the story